1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure generally relates to methods for calculating a volume of ballast needed on a section of railway track, and to systems and apparatus for delivering ballast to the railway track. More particularly, the present disclosure provides a method for calculating missing ballast volume and registering a functional equation to fixed infrastructure using a set of data points obtained in an optical scan of a physical scene, and for automated ballast delivery.
2. Description of Related Art
Railroad tracks are generally constructed on a roadbed base layer of compacted, crushed stone ballast material. Crossties are laid atop the roadbed, and two parallel, flat-bottomed steel rails are attached to the crossties with fasteners, such as tieplates and spikes. After the rails are attached to the ties and the track has been checked for proper alignment, crushed stone ballast is then laid down between and around the ties to further support the ties and allow some adjustment of their position, while also allowing free drainage.
Maintenance of railroad ballast is a significant portion of maintenance-of-way operations for railroads. To provide the desired support to the railroad track without interfering with operation of rail vehicles, it is desirable that the quantity of ballast be maintained as close as possible to a desired ideal level. Too little ballast will not give the desired anchorage for the tracks, while too much ballast can interfere with the wheels and other parts of rail vehicles. For effective drainage it is also desirable to keep the ballast rock clean and relatively free of sand, gravel, dirt, etc. Finally, maintenance operations, such as raising a track, can involve the application of significant quantities of new ballast along an existing track.
Typically, ballast maintenance has involved visual inspection of a section of track by railroad personnel. Once a region is identified where ballast is needed, a ballast train is ordered, and brought to the site. Then, based on visual identification, a worker uses a remote actuator device to open and close outlet doors on ballast hopper cars while walking alongside the moving ballast train, to dump ballast wherever needed. This process can be costly, time-consuming and inaccurate. Visual inspection of railroad tracks requires the time, expertise and good judgment of qualified maintenance personnel. Moreover, even experienced maintenance workers can misjudge the quantity of ballast needed in a given spot, and either apply too much or too little. Where excess ballast is placed, manual labor is required to remove the excess, which is usually wasted (e.g. dumped off to the side of the railroad tracks). Where too little ballast is placed, either a subsequent ballast maintenance operation is required, or the track section in question remains below standards.
The present disclosure is directed to overcoming, or at least reducing the effects, of one or more of the issues set forth above.